Principal Scientist - Medicinal Chemistry

Title : Principal Scientist - Medicinal Chemistry

Salary : $145-175,000

Location : Ballwin, MO

A St. Louis, MO-based pharmaceutical research and development company is seeking a highly motivated Medicinal Chemistry Leader with extensive drug discovery experience, strong project management capabilities, and a demonstrated record of leading high-performing teams. The company is focused on developing novel therapeutics to address unmet medical needs and is committed to improving patients’ quality of life through scientific innovation.

This individual will play a critical role in the Drug Discovery Department, driving multidisciplinary efforts to identify and advance innovative clinical candidates.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead a multidisciplinary drug discovery team to ensure scientific excellence and operational effectiveness.
• Design and execute medicinal chemistry strategies that integrate structural, physicochemical, pharmacokinetic, and safety considerations to deliver novel and differentiated development candidates.
• Evaluate and refine compound design proposals from the computational chemistry group.
• Direct synthetic chemistry efforts in support of discovery objectives.
• Identify and apply emerging synthetic and purification technologies to improve the efficiency of novel compound synthesis.
• Assess and recommend advanced tools and technologies to enhance drug discovery processes.
• Manage relationships with external CROs to ensure high-quality and timely project execution.
• Collaborate closely with internal leadership and provide structured, timely reporting on project progress.
• Foster effective communication across disciplines including computational chemistry, biology, CMC, safety, and external collaborators.
• Lead preclinical studies and contribute to IND-enabling activities.
• Develop intellectual property strategies and drive patent submissions in partnership with legal counsel.

Required Qualifications

Why Join

This is a unique opportunity to lead and innovate within a collaborative, fast-paced setting. The role offers the chance to shape medicinal chemistry strategy, advance a cutting-edge pipeline, and make a meaningful impact on the future of healthcare innovation.